Easter is coming, are you ready to learn and celebrate? This year, Easter is celebrated by many people across the world. As of 2020, 77% of people celebrated Easter in the United States. Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his promise of eternal life. Easter is celebrated on the first full moon on the Spring Equinox between March 22nd and April 25th. 

Though the holiday is religious and celebrates Jesus Christ, many do not associate the holiday with religion. Many times when people think of Easter, they think about the springtime, the Easter Bunny, and Egg hunts.

The Easter Bunny is a mythical creature who comes to your house and leaves a basket full of gifts and little plastic eggs around your house or yard filled with coins, toys, or candy.  

The Easter Bunny originated in Germany and was brought in by immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania Dutch Country in the 1700s. Germans established that the Easter Bunny was a hare who would leave colorful eggs for the children who were behaving on Easter Morning.

During an egg hunt, children search for hidden eggs with candy, toys, or money inside. In some cases, some of the eggs are real hard-boiled eggs that have been dyed, which are hidden for children to find. 

Pretzels were also once a food associated with Easter. It is believed that pretzels are the world’s oldest snack food, as it goes back to 610AD when an Italian Monk used dough leftover for baking bread to make pretzels. They folded the dough over to make it look like children’s arms folded when they pray. 

Now, many other snacks and treats are associated with Easter. For example, Peeps are one of the most popular non-chocolate Easter Candy. Studies show that around 700 million Peeps are sold for Easter. Jellybeans are another candy that has become a popular Easter treat, as 16 billion jelly beans are made for the holiday, along with  90 million chocolate bunnies. Finally, the most popular candy eaten on Easter is Cadbury Cream Eggs. Makayla Liverpool, a sophomore at LRHS says her favorite candy around Easter time is Airheads. 

One major White House tradition is the Easter Egg Roll, which began in 1878. The Easter Egg Roll is a game where children push Easter eggs down a hill or grassy area using a long spoon. Every year there is also a big egg hunt that takes place on the White House grounds. You must enter a lottery to be chosen to come to the Easter Egg Roll at the White House. You can enter here.